I spun on my heels. Nox was leaning against an open archway, half in shadows, half in moonlight. His scruff was slightly thicker than usual, making him look rugged and tired. A black shirt clung to his broad shoulders and arms, those dark rings he always wore catching the light as he ran his thumb along his lower lip. I hated the way my breath hitched, the way relief made my stomach flip.
That relief quickly shifted to irritation. “Kind of you to join us,” I said, tossing my sweat-slicked hair over my shoulder.
He pushed off the wall and prowled closer. “I see you’ve been practicing.”
“What else did you expect?” I snapped.
Circling me, he eyed the dagger strapped to my thigh and the shadows swirling lazily at my feet. “You’ve gotten rather cocky.”
I tilted my head. “I’ve gottenbetter.”
“Shadows to shadows is one thing,” he said with a shrug. “But what happens when someone hits you with their fist? Or a real blade? You can’t absorb everything into your magic.”
I slid my gaze to Thecae, then back to Nox. He had a point. Which I also hated. But?—
“Square your feet,” Nox instructed, rolling the sleeves of his shirt up his forearms.
I blinked.
When he lifted an eyebrow, I could’ve sworn a smirk flickered across his features. “Let’s see how you do against something a bit more…physical.”
That was the only warning I had. He struck faster than I thought possible, aiming for my hip. My shadows flared to my defense and slowed his fist enough for me to block him. His other hand swung at my neck, and I ducked. I pivoted on my heels to put some distance between us, panting from exertion.
“Where were you?” I seethed between breaths.
“Worried about me, darling?”
“Hopeful, actually.” I sent several shadow shards at him, and he gracefully dodged each one. “Thought I might not be yourprisoneranymore.”
He darted close enough to grab my wrist. In a heartbeat, he spun me until my back was against his chest, my throat caught in the crook of his arm.
“You know how I feel about that word,” he growled. “What are you going to do now, Devora? When your shadows can’t help you?”
I struggled against his arms, but his hold was too tight. When I lifted a leg to kick him, he slid to the side, still keeping my upper half from moving. He applied more pressure to my neck. I didn’t think he would really hurt me—it was more of a challenge. A way to see what I was made of.
He had some nerve, waltzing in here after disappearingfor days, not even bothering to say “hello” before criticizing my training. Pressure built in my chest, my annoyance with him coming back tenfold.
I raised my leg and slammed it on top of his foot.
Only—it didn’t hit his foot.
My body lurched toward the ground as half my leg melted into the shadows at our feet. The jarring movement made Nox release me, and I crashed to the ground.
He glanced down at me. “Not bad.”
While he was distracted, I swiped my leg at his ankle, reinforcing the blow with shadows strong enough to make his knees buckle. He lunged forward to try and pin me down, but I beat him to it. I used a rope of shadows to hold him to the ground as I straddled his waist.
“Don’t underestimate me next time,” I said, his face mere inches from mine.
Something silver flickered in his eyes. Just as I was about to get off him, he reached down between us, plucked the dagger from my thigh sheath, and held the blade to my neck.
I froze, my chest rising and falling with heavy pants. He was so close, I could see every tiny line of silver in his dark blue eyes, could feel his breath washing over my nose and cheeks. The tip of the blade dug into my sensitive skin.
“Is this the part where you fall in love with me?” I taunted.
“I don’t fall in love, darling.” His eyes slowly dragged to my lips, then back up again. “Not anymore.”
I abruptly pulled myself off him, letting him get to his feet. My racing pulse still hadn’t quieted. Without another glance at me, he backed away and nodded to Thecae.
